A. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to devices and methods for controlling fluid flow in fuel filler pipes.
B. Description of the Related Art
Fuel filler pipes are intended to accept fuel from a dispenser nozzle and deliver it to a reservoir. Ideally, a pipe would permit the fuel to flow at least as fast as the dispenser delivers it, so that the fuel does not well up and overflow or spit back. Fuel filler pipes are often shaped with one or more bends to allow the pipes to fit around other structures in a vehicle. This may make directing the flow of fuel to the reservoir more difficult. It is known that flow rate may decrease as turbulence increases; therefore, it may be desirable to have a fuel filler pipe that reduces or eliminates turbulence in an incoming fuel stream. A variety of approaches have been used to address this problem in the past. For instance, in some cases an embossed spiral or rifling is added to an inner surface of the fuel filler pipe, which causes vortexing in the incoming fuel stream, thus reducing chaotic flow i.e. turbulence. In other cases, non-spiraled vanes are added to an inner surface of the fuel filler pipe thereby promoting a linear, non-vortexing, flow. In still other cases, a free-standing helical control surface is disposed within the fuel filler pipe, which results in vortexing flow.
The present disclosure describes devices and methods for directing the flow of fuel or reducing turbulence in an incoming fuel stream, which provide improvements over the prior art.